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Saturday, October 17, 2009

Saturday, October 17, 2009

After our book tour self-imploded (go here if you missed it), I was determined to get back on the road as soon as my health would possibly allow it. First I had to convince Jen, the doctors, and the publisher, though. We eventually reached a compromise: Jen and I would stay in Dallas for a few days more to recuperate, and then we would drive to Austin instead of flying.

From the moment we arrived at Book People, we were treated with such kindness and hospitality that it was almost overwhelming. Our two bakers, Nicole from Wicked Cakes and Paloma from Coco Paloma Desserts, had each made cakes for the previous week's show - which of course was canceled at the last minute - and yet were gracious enough to do it all over again for this one. Jen and I had assumed we just wouldn't have cake for the show, but these ladies insisted. How awesome is that?

Here's Nicole with a few of her sample cakes:

Unfortunately we didn't get a picture of Paloma with her cake - I think it was almost gone by the time we showed up! - but we did get to taste all the different flavors both bakers brought, and they were delicious.

Considering that we rescheduled the event with only about 4 days notice, and on a Saturday afternoon at that, I wondered if anyone would show up. I guess someday I'll learn to stop underestimating the awesomeness of our readers:

I think we had about 200 fans there. The smiling guy in the front row actually came to both the Dallas show and this one - and all the way from Houston! He also left us a big container of sprinkles. You know, in case we wanted some. ;)

Another thing I wondered was whether anyone would still have a cupcake wreckplica to bring. Foolish man. We had plenty of goodies to choose from! Here are our three "winners":

Kimberly left the wrapper on the bottom of the cupcake to show that she was still following the "rules" (ie, this was partially carved from a cupcake).

That's the guy with the fire extinguisher, and check out the little "Food Network" badges on their sleeves! Great detail.

(To see the rest of the amazing entries for Austin, go to the Cake Wrecks Facebook page.)

We initially hoped to continue the rest of the tour from Austin, but the scheduling didn't work out. That was just as well, though; the evening we got back to Orlando I ended up in the hospital again for a few more days. Bah. But let me tell you, Austin, I wouldn't have missed this show for the world; you guys really showed us the meaning of kindness. Thank you!

TOUR UPDATE: We're still finalizing the dates, but I can tell you that the tour will recommence in about two weeks, AND that it will include two additional cities: Boston and Atlanta! More details to follow very soon.

John's Update to the Tour Update: It's actually the B&N in Framingham, MA which is only 18 minutes away from downtown. Best we could do. I can't wait to see you guys.

I know of three people who are coming and one of them is ME! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I am really happy that you are back on your feet and open to adding a few extra stops. I am sure we New Englanders will show you we are'nt fridgid in the hospitality department. Can't wait. Weeeeeeeee!

Well, despite our hate mail, multiple comments that are all the same, oblivious references to obvious things and selfish demands for you to run the blog the way that we want you to, we are united in that WE ALL LOVE CAKEWRECKS!

John ( and Jen) good to see you back "en forme" as they say in Quebec. BUT really man... don't over do it. I mean seriously - a day at a time. relax, smell the cupcakes, er flowers , and be gentle with yourself. But we love the roar of the crowds too.

I love reading about your tour! So glad you got to go to Austin and that the amazing people there got to see you!

Other people want to see you well and healthy, so make sure you give yourself recovery time before you head out to the other locations. Let me know when you come to China. 'Cause you know there will be an amazing cake waiting for you saying, "Good luck in China!"

I'm a Food Network Challenge junkie (and Cakewrecks...I've lot a bunch of weight...notice the theme here?) and I wanted to reach into the screen and bitch-slap (am I allowed to say bitch-slap here?) Stevie that whole frickin' episode.

Kerry can be abrasive, but no one deserves to have their first birthday cake ever be a giant joke/fiasco.

The scene from "Kill it with fire" has made my day!!!! I love that Kerry Vincent is sitting of the ground with her face in her hands & I love that Stevie is standing there proud lol!!! GREAT DETAIL!!!! Cake Wrecks you truly are amazing!!!

Try and take care of yourselves - SERIOUSLY. I'm delighted at the well-deserved acclaim you have been receiving all week, but your tried and true fans won't have anything to love if you fall apart on us.

Cheers!

wv: quett As we say in Hotlanta, "y'all be quett down there. I cain't here Jen talking."

It's interesting, though. NO LA??? Do I need to get on my hands and knees and cry and squeal and beg and plead and wish and hope and give you money? 'Cause I'll do it. I will. Except for the money part. We're broke. But I'm good for everything else.

So... Charlotte, NC is 4 hours north of Atlanta. Far enough that most folks wouldn't *not* go to one city, just because they were going to the other, ya know? But close enough so that it wouldn't be stressful for you to get here!

I was unable to volunteer to organize anything after the first announcement of the tour, but if you were to come to Charlotte, I can do it now!! Would love to see you here.

BOSTON??? I might actually drive up there from Providence! Not that it's a bad ride, I just tend to get very lost and frustrated. But I might have to for this! :) I will be keeping eyes and ears peeled! (And bringing some new wreck addicts, hopefully)

Du'oh! Take care of yourselves on these long book tours, guys. Oh, but that 'Kill it with Fire' wreckplica was fantastic! I was watching that thinking 'she's not really going to light those sugar bowls filled with alcohol on fire, is she?' An excellent replication of that famous wreck. :-)

Today I received my copy of the book (as well as the two extra I've ordered as presents!) from Amazon (UK), and let me tell you, it's every bit as good as the blog! Several times I cracked up, and all the way through I was smiling! And yes, I read it all today!

Now, I'm wondering if there's anyone else I can buy this for...

Leesa-wishing she could 'pop over' to the the US for your 'world' tour!!

I was soooooooooo excited about you coming to Boston that I forgot to comment on the wreckplicas. I LOVE the Kerry Vincent "on fire" one. I think I would have picked that one as the grand prize winner. I hope you send her a book at least. It is truly marvelous and the others provide lots of inspiration for making one for your upcoming visit to our area.

Oh Jon,Your poor Momma Donna! I can just imagine how worried she was. I only met you for a few minutes in Orlando and I was worried sick- I'm that crazy mom Ariel who dragged her kids out of school to go to your book signing. Let's hope they remember how cool I was when they pick out my home!

My 4 year old daughter was standing at my elbow when I looked at today's entry and when we got to the Scottish mayhem wreckplica, she leaned in and said, "Oooooooh, I want THAT cake!" I asked which one, and her little finger pointed directly. . . to the photo of the REAL cake wreck below the wreckplica.

Then she seemed to realize I might think differently, and pulled back hesitantly and asked "Would you, Mommy?" Pause, pause. "Well, it does look sugary!" She beamed, proud she had chosen wisely. ; )

Framingham? Only a short half-hour drive? I'm on my way, cupcake in hand... just gimme a date and a time - I'll even close my bookstore if I have to, just to see you! Don't suppose you'd like to make a short detour to a very small (1300 sq. ft.) indie bookstore? I know, I know - I'd have to set up a tent in the parking lot for everyone. Ah, well. Can't have everything. Been chortling over the store's copies of "Cake Wrecks" ever since they arrived. You're my reward for finishing my work on time, y'know... after I answer email, wait on customers, return calls, etc. then I can check out the day's offerings. Thanks for all the smiles - be well/stay well!

I was so sad, because you guys were scheduled to be in NYC three days after me and my fiance LEFT NYC after apartment hunting. And then I was concerned, because you guys were sick and hurting! And now I feel better that you guys are feeling better. And! If all works out, we might be moved there in time for the rescheduled NYC appearance! Yay!!

Also: I bet the New Englanders are stoked! We currently live in FAR Northern NH, and before I knew we'd be moving to NYC for sure, I was sad that there was no Wreckage for the Great White North. :D

Can't wait to see you guys in Boston (Framingham). Framingham is actually a nice area, and easy to get to from boston (or, if you are traveling from north or south, it's actually EASIER for you commuters - better parking, less traffic! win win!)

"TAHNKS" again for coming to Austin! We truly felt loved on and are glad you did, too. I want everyone out there to know, we did ask John repeatedly if he really was well, and told him not to be pushing himself, and he kept saying he was well....

Tsk, tsk, tsk. We know you love us John, but you won't be any good to Jen or us if you don't take good care of yourself! So kick back for a couple of days, eat some cake, watch a couple of those foodie shows we know you've DVR'd for when you have a few extra minutes, and REST! I mean it! Don't make me come out there and get all Mama Bear on you!!!! Just ask my four kids - I know how! Big "BEAR" hugs to you both.

It was great to see you and Jen! And of course to see the slideshow and the wreckplica entries, and to eat cake.

I'm the smiling guy in the front row from Houston. Glad you appreciated the sprinkles! Y'know, there must be something psychological about the very presence of sprinkles, because they helped me deal with the stress of driving such a long distance. Even though I didn't eat any, I was able to deal with whatever problems I faced: heavy rain, crazy drivers, bad food, the lamp in my hotel room that didn't work... none of it mattered, because I had sprinkles.

John! It's great to see that you are well enough to blog. But don't overdo it, we all want you to get completely better, okay?! Okay.

I love that all those people came to see you. But I could've told you that. Wreckies are die-hard dudes and dudettes! If we can make it through some of those baby-shower cakes and the sawed off animal heads cakes, we can make it to your book-signing. Except, that is, if the Wreckie in question is me and I'm sitting in Switzerland, hella mad I can't go. But I'm at all your tour stops in spirit, believe you me! :)

Since I haven't seen it mentioned yet, I wanted to point out that the Kill It With Fire cupcake was done by Kimberly Chapman, who last appeared on CW as a Sunday Sweet for her absolutely amazing Fraggle Rock cake. Link to that post is here: http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/2009/03/sunday-sweets-more-80s.html She's totally awesome and has mad creativity skillz, so I had to point that out here. :-)

It's GREAT to hear that you guys are feeling better. Don't worry about anything - we all love Cake Wrecks and at every tour stop will be a multitude of Wreckies carrying Wreckplicas. Thanks a MILLION (and so much more) for adding Boston to the tour list. I'll be there if I can. You're the best!

So glad John's on the mend- take care of yourselves! Gads of healing psychic fanlove is great, but one must also rest...

That said, let me add my geographic demands: for future reference there is a high speed ferry between Portland, ME and Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. Wreckventure on the high seas!! Uh, perhaps invoking wreckage while trying to sell sea travel is not the best tactic... But I think my point stands- two lovely towns, a chance to take the quotes off of a "world" tour, and to do it via a slightly exotic mode of transportation. Slot machines are exotic, right?

Love the book and the blog. I actually came across the book first in my local bookstore in Wellsboro PA. I bought the book for my book review column in the Wellsboro Gazette and I stayed up until past my bed time reading and laughing. I'll post the review my column to my blog at http://frommmyshelf.blogspot.com once in runs in the paper, but big congratulations...

Why does Nashville keep getting looked over?!? Is it the country music? Miley Cyrus? Or is it that Kid Rock lives here and somehow manages to be in country music that is keeping you away? Please come to Nashville!! There's Davis-Kidd at Green Hills Mall, or the Barnes & Nobles at Orpy Mills Mall! And I'm sure we could find SOMETHING geek-tastic around here! :)

If you're looking for professional bakers for your cakes in the Boston area, two of the more creative that come to mind are The Icing on the Cake in Newton (http://tiotc.com) and Truly Jorg's in Saugus (http://trulyjorgs.com) -- he's been on some Food Network show according to the posters in the bakery.

AAHHHH!!!! see what happens when I don't get to the blog for a couple days...a dream comes true and i don't even know it!!! ATLANTA!!!! YAY!!! Absolutely can't wait! There are plenty of bookstores in and around the ATL that would love to have you...even the Margaret Mitchell house hosts authors...

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What's a Wreck?

What's a Wreck?

A Cake Wreck is any cake that is unintentionally sad, silly, creepy, inappropriate - you name it. A Wreck is not necessarily a poorly-made cake; it's simply one I find funny, for any of a number of reasons. Anyone who has ever smeared frosting on a baked good has made a Wreck at one time or another, so I'm not here to vilify decorators: Cake Wrecks is just about finding the funny in unexpected, sugar-filled places.

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We don’t have any copies of Cake Wrecks for sale here, autographed or otherwise. We decided the shipping and handling costs would be too high to make it worth your while. So instead, buy your copies locally or online and then order personalized bookplates: it’s cheaper, easier, and I think even looks a bit nicer.

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